China called on Russia and Ukraine to hold peace talks and rejected any recourse to nuclear weapons, in a 12-point document released on Friday, a year after Russia invaded Ukraine.
“All parties should support Russia and Ukraine to work in the same direction and resume direct dialogue as soon as possible” for a “peaceful solution”, said the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Titled “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis,” the document was posted on the ministry’s website on the first anniversary of the outbreak of war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
China has been seeking for several weeks to play a mediating role in this conflict and has been promising for several days to publish its position with a view to finding a political solution.
In the document, Beijing clearly opposes any use of nuclear weapons, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin brandishing this threat.
“Nuclear weapons should not be used and nuclear war should not be engaged in,” the document states.
China also urges both countries to “strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian buildings.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has deemed it “necessary” to “work” with Beijing to work towards a resolution of the conflict. “It seems to me that there is respect for our territorial integrity, things that concern security,” he noted.
Mr. Zelensky has also indicated that he plans to meet soon with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
“I intend to meet Xi Jinping. It will be important for global security. China respects territorial integrity and must do everything to ensure that Russia leaves the territory of Ukraine,” he said. during a press conference.
Russia said it “appreciated” the Chinese efforts, while insisting on the need to recognize the Russian annexation of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow. “We share Beijing’s considerations,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden told ABC that he saw nothing in this plan “that could benefit anyone other than Russia”.
“Putin applauds it. How could it be good?”
The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell considered that the Chinese document did not constitute “not a peace plan”.
This war is a delicate matter for Beijing, because of its strong diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow, consolidated by the common interest of counterbalancing Washington.
Officially neutral, China calls for respecting the sovereignty of states, including Ukraine, while urging Europeans to take into account Moscow’s security concerns.
But Western pressure is growing on Beijing, which has never publicly supported or criticized the Russian offensive, while repeatedly expressing its support for Moscow in the face of Western sanctions.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also expressed his “doubts” on Friday about the “constructive role” that China can play for peace in Ukraine.
Same dubious reaction from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg: China “doesn’t have much credibility” regarding Ukraine, he said, expressing his skepticism about Beijing’s “proposals” to end at war.
“China should do everything in its power to end the war (…) and encourage Russia to withdraw its troops,” said Zhanna Leshchynska, charge d’affaires and as such principal head of the Ukrainian Embassy in China.
In recent days, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has raised concerns that China is considering supplying arms to Russia — allegations that Beijing denies.
The United States has “for the moment no proof” of arms delivery by China to Russia, Joe Biden said on Friday.
Claiming to have had a conversation on this subject with Xi Jinping, Mr. Biden spoke of the consequences of such support, recalling that the war in Ukraine had led to the withdrawal of many companies from Russia.
“It’s not a threat” but a fact, he would have told the Chinese president.
At a virtual summit on Friday, leaders of the G7 nations threatened “severe costs” for countries that continue to help Russia circumvent sanctions.
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02/25/2023 01:23:48 – Beijing (AFP) – © 2023 AFP